Select Local Merchants

Hunakai Studio of Fine Art
combines the study of past masters with plenty of hands-on art-making experience for students of all ages. Instructors teach students to sculpt in clay, paint and draw, or generate digital images with 3D design programs and tablets. They lead studies into the iconic images of Renaissance painters, the drawings of famed cartoonists, and the murals of prolific graffiti artists. They do this all while keeping class sizes small, with no more than eight students per instructor. This lets the teachers customize lessons to students' needs, helping pupils progress at their own pace instead of racing to keep up with that overachiever Suzy Collins.

With its lofty ceilings, slate floors, natural wood beams, and floor-to-ceiling windows that give sunlight some rare exposure to high culture, the building that houses the Fuller Craft Museum is itself a work of art. The 21,000-square-foot structure is surrounded by a 22-acre campus, which is itself surrounded by some 700 acres of woodland. It's a place to easily lose an afternoon in exploration and contemplation.
Across this wide-open space, creativity flows naturally. Exhibitions, galleries, and workshops showcase the mesmerizing craftsmanship of woodworking, sculpture, bookmaking, and many other forms, exploring the materials,
techniques, and expression poured into each piece. Interactive attractions draw visitors deeper into the creative process. Letterboxing, for instance, challenges them to search the property for hidden treasures by following clues instead of just lazily asking a neighborhood pirate.

With a dedication to each individual and family, the seasoned instructors at The Dance Factory teach students of any age a variety of dance styles, ranging from ballet and acrobatics to jazz and hip-hop. Preschool- and kindergarten-age classes are also available for budding dancers. Kids can express themselves through free-form choreography in various dance styles, or take a more structured approach through the French traditions taught in ballet sessions. Hip-hop and modern/contemporary classes equip older children and adults with the steps to commandeer any dance floor or spontaneous public musical number, and students looking for more heart-pumping excitement can also bust moves in dance-inspired Zumba fitness classes. Classes meet once a week Monday?Saturday.

Luke Adams's childhood talent for drawing spurred him toward an education in glasswork at the Massachusetts College of Art, where he honed his technique under artists from all over the country. Today, Luke molds his molten medium into colorful, one-of-a-kind starfish suncatchers, jewelry, and paperweights. Through jewelry-making and glassblowing classes, his studio spreads a passion for glass-oriented artistry, teaching students to shear and assemble artful shards, molding them into versatile, translucent building blocks similar to the kind used to by Gustave Eiffel to construct an ice-cube model of his infamous tower.

At Framers Edge, a staff of artists and skilled craftspeople preserves anything from precious family portraits to sports memorabilia to the wettest of oil paintings. They first conduct a complimentary consultation, advising clients on the best border for their belongings and detailing the step-by-step process. Once a method is agreed upon, they get to work: blocking and stretching needlepoint pieces, adding beveled accents to finished artwork, and mounting 3-D objects such as baseball jerseys and a baby’s first clump of shower hair. They use the best equipment in the industry and materials from high-quality suppliers, including Bainbridge mats and Bella and Studio moulding.

It didn’t take long for Robert Bennet Forbes to make a name for himself. He was made a captain by the age of 20, and he quickly amassed wealth and influence as a China Trade Merchant. And despite becoming one of the country’s most prominent businessmen, Captain Forbes still found time to design ships, write, and build an estate that would make Scrooge McDuck molt with envy. Along with his brother John, the Captain commissioned a Greek Revival mansion to be built in 1883. The house was intended for their mother, but over the decades, it would become home to many members of the entrepreneurial family—who collected four generations worth of paintings, artifacts, and various artwork.
Perched atop Milton Hill, the mansion—now a National Historic Landmark called the Forbes House Museum—transports visitors back to key moments in American history. In one part of the house lies memorabilia focused on President Lincoln and the Civil War, collected by the Captain's granddaughter Mary Bowditch Forbes. Her passion for that time period was so strong, she even had a replica of Lincoln's birthplace built on the museum's grounds. Other rooms showcase the valuable Chinese exports collected by the Captain. Sitting atop a table of Cantonese marble and hand-carved rosewood is the crown jewel of this collection, the Election Bowl, a porcelain vessel adorned with two Forbes family crests and two depictions of Scottish castles. In addition to tours, the mansion also hosts various cultural events, including a monthly roundtable discussion on the Civil War.